Mailbox letter holding assembly



April 7, 1953 o. H. HxBBl-:LER

MAILEox LETTER HOLDING ASSEMBLY l Filed Sep'. 22, 1950 (Ittomeg Patented Apr. 7, 1953 UNITED STATESv PATENT OFFICE Application September 22, 1950, Serial No. 186,229

1 Claim.

This invention relates to rural mail boxes of the typehaving a front door, and in particular an attachment for a mail box which provides means on the inside of the door for holding letters and the like whereby the letters are accessible s that they may readily be picked up by a mail man. t i

The purpose of.. this invention is to provide an improved mail box from which letters may readily be taken by the postman without the necessity oi 'running an arm into the box and which also eliminates the inconvenience'of picking up a flat article, such asa thin letter or postcard from a flat surface. v l

In the conventional type of rural mail box letters, postcardsand the-like are placed on the inner surface of the bottom of the j box and these are not only diicult to pick up, `but in nu. merous cases where the light is weak it is difcult to determined whether or not there is Inail y in the bOX. iWith this thought in mind this 411'1- vention contemplates providing means on the inside of the door of a mail box for retaining mail in suspension so that it is only necessary for the'V carrier to open the door, take the mail, and close the door.- 1 1 The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide means for forming letter supporting elements on the inside of a door of a mail box whereby letters and the like may readily be inserted therein and also readily removed therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide letter retaining elements that may readily be installed on the inside of a door of a mail box.

Another object of the invention is to provide a letter supporting device to be attached to the inside of a mail box door in which letters, cards and the like are retained therein by friction.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device for retaining letters and the like in suspension on the inner surface of the door of a mail box which is of a simple and economical construction.

With these and other objects and advantages in View the invention embodies a pair of brackets carried by a base plate positioned on the in side of a mail box door, opposed sponge rubber blocks carried by the brackets, means pivotally mounting one of the brackets and resilient means urging the sponge rubber block of the pivotally mounted bracket toward the block of the other bracket.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view looking toward the open end of a mail box with the door opened to a horizontal position and showing the letter holding elements with av letter indicated therein in dotted lines.

Figure 2 is a side elevational View showing the front end of a mail box also with the door open and with parts broken away, and showing a portion of a letter in the holding elements in dotted lines, with part of the letter broken away.

Figure 3 is a detailon an enlarged scale showing an elevational view of the pivotally mounted letter holding bracket. Y

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts the mail box letter holder of this invention includes a base plate IIJ, a stationary bracket I 2 with a sponge rubber block I4 therein, a pivot-Y ally mounted or swinging bracket I6 with a sponge rubber block I8 therein, a spring 20, and

studs 22 and 24 for pivotally mountingthe bracket I in the upper ends of uprights 26 and 28.

f The base plate I0 is secured to the inner surface of a door 30 of a mail box 32 by welding or other suitable means, and a Z-bar 34 having a web with a ang-e 36 on the upper end and a flange 38 on the lower end is mounted Yon the base plate by Welding or otherwise securing the flange 38 to the plate. A flange 4I) on the lower end of the web of the bracket I2, which is also inthe form of a Z-bar, is mounted on the flange 38 and a flange 42 on the upper end of the bracket extends over the flange 3B on the upper end of the bar 34, as shown in Figure 1.

rl'he inner surfaces of the flanges 36 and 42 are provided with teeth 44 and 46, respectively, which secure the sponge rubber block I4 in the stationary bracket with the edge of the block extended beyond the ends of the flanges. The bar 34 is secured to the bracket I2 by welding, soldering, or other suitable means.

The bracket I6 which is pivotally mounted in the upper ends of the posts or uprights 26 and 23 by the studs 22 and 24, is formed with webs, one of which is provided with a ange 48 at the upper end and a coacting flange 5I) is provided on the other web, which is indicated by the numeral 52, and the web 52 is secured to the inner face of the bracket. The coacting surfaces of the flanges 48 and 50 are provided with teeth, similar to the teeth 44 and 46, of the flanges 36 and 42, and the teeth of the flanges 48 and 50 hold the block I8 in the bracket.

The spring 20 is secured, at one end, to the base plate I0, and the opposite end is held on a tang 54 on the rear surface of the pivotally mounted bracket i6, as shown in Figure 3,

With the parts arranged in this manner, the door of the mail box is opened, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and by drawing the block I3 away from the block I4, a letter or the like, as indicated by .thenumeral liisplacedbetween the blocks andfas'the block l8,;is releasedL the letter isrmly gripped between the blocks until it is withdrawn manually by a carrier.

The blocks I4 and I8 are described as formed of sponge rubber, and it will' beunderstood that the blocks and also other parts of the device may be formed of any material desired. ,'It'will also be understood that the: blocks;y may ;be.fof any suitable shape or design, and other means may be used for suspending the blocksfrorn the inner surface of themail box door.

Fror'nhthe foregoing description itL is: .thought to .r be-Iobvious that ea: mail box 'letter-holding assembly @constructed accordance with 'my invention lis particularly well' adapted.t Afor :;use by reason of the convenience'and; facilityfwith which t :mayvbe: assembled/and operated, rand it will:`A also Y' be' obvious'l thatffmy :invention I isf susceptiblenofvsome. change: andztmoidication -without z departing 5 from Y the principles :and lspirit thereof, andf for.v this reason.v I `dofnot -wfishevto be understood asflimiting: myself to the `precise arrangement:and formation". off the? several-parts herein shown in carrying out-mycinventionxn pra'ctice,-except as: claimed.

S'Havingrthus fullydesoribed gthelinyentionswhat I -claim as. newf andV desire to secure` ybyLetters Patent, is:

alnfa mail, grippingfbracketf-for Yusein a mail box, fthe combination v:which comprises .-a base platefaZ-bar mounted v-on theabase-plategsaid Z-barfhaving a `webf=positioned `perpendicular to'. the-base plate; amounting. .ange 'secured to the base plate and a flange parallel to the :base plater and extended.Y at a rightsangle frornfthe extended*v end of the-iWeb, -a bracket, .Z-.shape Iin cross;sectionfihavinga web positioned Vagainst the web of the Z-bar with a mounting flange secured to the mounting flange of the Z-bar and a flange parallel to the base plate and extended from the end thereof extended from the f, base plate, said flange on the extended end of the bracket being spaced from the flange on the extended end of the web of the Z-bar, a block of resilient material positioned between the Aangesloilthes Zfbar andibrackeband extended lo beyondthefextended edgesof said flanges, spaced posts extended from said base plate positioned nin spaced relation to the Z-bar and bracket, a swinging bracket having webs with spaced anges extended jfrom extended ends thereof lapositioned. between said posts, means pivotally mounting said swinging bracket by means of the Webslthereoffinsaid, posts, a block of resilient material positioned between the anges of the swinging bracket, the flanges of the brackets 2o between which the blocks of resilient material are'positionedha'ving teeth -on vopposed :faces ,tlrereof'` forfgrippingJthe blo'cks of resilient -material; and a'sspring'nattached to 'thel base plate at `ione. `end@ andfatithe" opposite' end to' an' end 2.5 of theiswingingbracket extended from the piv` otal: mounting tof l .thezfbracket toward `the base plate, said spring and posts positioned whereby the f extended face.' ofithef. blo'ckwof: resilient material of; the'swingingibracket is.urged intomeet- Bo ingbreiation .withl the .extended face of` `the lblock oft.l resilient material of .the Z-barand :bracket securedtto the base.

: OTTOl-ifI-I.; HIBBELER.

.so .REEERENGESLCITED Thefl'lowingreferencesare' ofY record inthe 'le' of this-patent:

" UNII'ED STATES PATENTS 40.Numb.er Name Date 276,658 i.-Betts f May; 1, 1883 1507.4,648 Schwartzberg 1 Oct. 7,1913 v 1,187,226 i Anderson JunelB, 1916 1,368,868 Wertman Feb..15, 1921 45 :1,552,583 ;Stokes .:Sept;;81925 2,068,275 Luss Jan. 19, V1937' 

